You Belong to Me
by Kleineganz
Summary: Merlin was at the end of his rope. Having aged out of the foster care system, homeless and starving, he climbed the railing of the bridge, planning to end his miserable existence. That's when Arthur Pendragon showed up and offered him an alternative.
1. The Contract

Arthur had been watching him for over two years now, ever since his driver nearly hit him as he crossed the street and he stared with his startling blue eyes in shock at the vehicle he hadn't even seen coming. Arthur was immediately taken by how beautiful he was.

Arthur looked into the boy's circumstances and they couldn't have been more perfect. His mother had given him up to the foster care system years ago, unable to make ends meet in order to raise him. He'd been in and out of foster homes for the past several years and was about to age out of the system.

When his eighteenth birthday had passed, as expected his current foster family turned him out onto the street as soon as he wasn't able to earn them any money.

Arthur was a patient man. He waited and had the boy watched as his world crumbled around him. Within less than a month he was living on the streets, homeless and turning tricks in order to survive. That's when Arthur set his plans into motion.

...

Arthur was prepared when the boy finally hit rock bottom. He was standing on the railing of the bridge over the river, sobbing, preparing to jump. Arthur's limousine pulled up then and Arthur stepped out, walking over to the sobbing, shaking boy. "I can offer you an alternative," Arthur said as the boy took notice of someone else near him on the bridge.

"What's that? Want me to suck your cock for twenty pounds?" the boy said indignantly.

"No," Arthur stated matter-of-factly. "I have something much more… _long-term_ …in mind."

"What's that then?" the boy asked.

"Merlin Emrys," Arthur said commandingly. "Come down from there now."

Merlin seemed shocked that the well-dressed man knew his name. At the commanding tone he almost couldn't help but comply. Merlin climbed down from the railing and walked over to Arthur warily, wiping the tears from his face on the back of his sleeve.

"So what exactly is it you want from me?" Merlin asked suspiciously.

"It's quite simple," Arthur explained. "I want to make you my slave."

Merlin laughed at that. "You're a prat. A rich, spoiled prat at that." He then turned around and was about to climb back onto the railing when Arthur grabbed his bicep firmly.

"I can provide you with food and a warm place to sleep," Arthur said plainly. "I want to take care of you."

"What for? In exchange for letting you fuck me, I bet," Merlin spat.

"I won't deny I would use you sexually," Arthur shrugged. "But wouldn't it be better than just jumping. Don't you think your mother deserves more than a dead son?"

"What do you know of my mother?" Merlin growled.

"I know she had to give you up, because she didn't have enough money," Arthur explained. "I could make sure she's also taken care of, and even let you visit regularly."

"You would take care of my mother, in order to get to fuck me?" Merlin stared at him incredulously.

"Yes," Arthur said. "Now will you come with me? I can show you where you are to live and what you can expect before you sign the contract."

"There's a contract?" Merlin said, dumbfounded.

"Yes, of course there's a contract," Arthur said exasperated. "I would never enslave someone completely beyond their will. You must understand all that will be asked of you and consent before you sign. However, once the contract is signed, then I would own you. Possess you. _You would be mine_."

Merlin gulped at that, but the thought of regular meals and visits with his mother was appealing. Especially if he knew his mother was taken care of the way she deserved. He missed her so desperately.

"You…you won't force me into anything until I sign your contract, yeah?" Merlin asked for clarification.

Arthur nodded. "Yes."

"Well, alright then," Merlin shrugged and allowed himself to be ushered into the waiting limousine.

...

They drove in silence. Merlin sat as far away from Arthur as possible in the back of the limousine, eyeing the man warily. ' _At least he's easy on the eyes,_ ' Merlin thought to himself before staring out of the window again.

It took two hours to reach their destination. Arthur's home was palatial, situated on several acres of land. It took a full five minutes to drive past the main gates and up the driveway to reach the main house. Clearly the man was beyond wealthy.

As they entered the main foyer of the home, Merlin's breath was taken away by the sheer opulence. "Welcome to my home, Merlin," Arthur smiled at the boy. "I just realized I don't think I made a proper introduction. I'm Arthur Pendragon."

"Wait are you… _the_ …Arthur Pendragon? The playboy billionaire?" Merlin asked in shock.

"Yes," Arthur replied.

"What do you want with me then?" Merlin asked in anger and confusion. "You could have anyone. Pay anyone to be your fucktoy. Why me?"

"I've had my eye on you for the past two years," Arthur said. "Remember when you were nearly hit by a limousine when crossing the street?"

Merlin blinked. "Wow, yeah I remember that. That was you?"

"Well technically it was my driver that almost hit you," Arthur shrugged. "However when I saw your face and those dazzling eyes, I knew I had to have you."

Merlin's breath hitched and he felt anger bubbling inside of him.

"Why didn't you just grab me right then? Why wait so long?" Merlin screamed. "I've been starving on the streets for weeks!"

"It's actually only been a month, and I was biding my time," Arthur explained. "You were underage and you were in the system. I didn't want my name publicly linked to yours. I decided to wait until you aged out of the system, were legally old enough to sign a contract and were desperate enough to be willing to agree to my terms."

"Well aren't you just being refreshingly honest," Merlin spat.

"I see no reason to lie to you," Arthur stated plainly. "You're a smart lad, you'd have figured out the truth for yourself. Also I detest dishonesty. That will be one of your rules if you agree to this. No lying."

"You said you were going to explain everything you want of me," Merlin said impatiently.

"All in good time," Arthur smiled. "How about we have some lunch?"

Arthur led Merlin through the first floor towards the kitchen. The staff had been expecting them and a lunch had been set out on the counter of the raised island. Merlin looked at the lunch. A grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup and a cup of tea. One of his favorite meals.

Merlin sat and quickly began to devour the food. "Mmm. This is good…"

Arthur chuckled as he sat next to the starving boy. Clearly Arthur had been studying him for some time if he knew his favorite food. The thought made Merlin both wary and giddy at the same time. The fact that someone had taken this much effort…just for him. It was all so unbelievable.

"Will I get to eat like this all the time?" Merlin asked after swallowing the last of his sandwich.

"As long as you behave, yes," Arthur said with a wry smile. "If you don't behave, I also know the kinds of foods you don't like."

After finishing his lunch, Merlin studied Arthur again. "So, how will I be expected to behave?"

"I will go over all the rules with you when we discuss the contract," Arthur responded. "Come, let me show you the rest of the house."

Arthur took Merlin on a tour of the main floor, which consisted of the kitchen and dining rooms, a sitting room, a living room, a home theatre with seating for twenty people, an office with a library, and a fully equipped home gym. Afterwards Arthur led Merlin upstairs.

Upstairs there were several guest rooms, and at end of the hall was Arthur's personal suite. It consisted of a very large bedroom, a separate sitting room with small library, a luxurious bathroom and one other room that Arthur was leading him to now.

"If you agree to all my terms, you will be living in these rooms with me," Arthur began before opening the door, a dark smile upon his face. "This room, in particular, you will become intimately familiar with."

Merlin gasped when he saw what the room contained.

The walls were painted a dark red. The floor was black, and seemed to be made of a dense foam rubber as he stepped on it. There were some odd pieces of furniture placed around the room, and a wooden cross occupied one wall. There were leather cuffs hanging from the ceiling and lining one wall were many kinds of whips, paddles, straps and various sex toys.

Merlin was loathe to admit that seeing all this made his cock twitch a little, and he began blushing profusely.

"I see you know what all this is for," Arthur said frankly. "If you sign the contract you will get to know every item in this room, I guarantee it."

"I was wrong, you aren't just a rich prat," Merlin said. "You're a sick, kinky bastard as well."

Arthur laughed. "Perhaps I am."

Arthur led him back downstairs to his office, offering him another cup of tea along the way. Once in the office, Arthur produced the contract he'd mentioned and handed it to Merlin.

"I want you to read through the contract very carefully," Arthur instructed. "When you're done we'll discuss it further before you agree to sign."

" _If_ I agree to sign," Merlin corrected.

...

Merlin sat in the large wingback chair he had planted himself in and read through the contract. A lot of it seemed fairly straight forward, but then he got to the kinkier part of what would be expected of him, as Arthur's sex slave.

There was an entire daily itinerary. There were rules, and consequences for breaking the rules. There was a long list of both punishments and rewards. Merlin would have absolutely no control over any of his bodily functions anymore. Arthur would determine when he would eat, sleep, piss, shit and even orgasm. Arthur wanted to control him in every way possible.

A part of Merlin thrilled at the prospect, but he was equally revolted by some of the things Arthur would require. He wasn't sure if he could go through with all of it.

Yet, for the chance to be able to visit his mother and see her taken care of. If anyone had the means to do that, it would be this rich prat. Rich, good looking prat.

Arthur glanced up from his desk, "Have you finished?"

Merlin nodded. "Yeah. I'm not entirely sure about everything. Is there any room for negotiation?"

Arthur shook his head. "No. Either you sign the contract as it is written, or you walk away. Go back to that bridge and jump if that's what you really want."

Merlin took a deep breath, tears pricking at his eyes. "No, that's not what I really want. I never wanted that life…but I'm…I'm not sure I want this one either."

Arthur seemed to consider those words for a moment. "Alright, I have an alternate proposal then. Try it out for one week. You don't have to sign the contract and I'll even allow you a safeword if anything gets to be too much. Then you must decide to either sign and stay with me, or go back to where you were before."

Merlin seemed to consider it for a moment before slowly nodding his head. "Alright. One week."

Arthur smiled. "Good. Now all the rules in that contract still apply, and I reserve the right to punish you. Don't abuse the right of a safeword either. Only use it in extreme cases, when you truly cannot take more."

"Fine," Merlin agreed. "What's the safeword then?"

"The most common are stoplights. Red to stop everything, yellow to slow down or pause, green if everything is good," Arthur explained.

Merlin nodded. "Alright, sounds simple enough. So, now what?"

Arthur walked over to Merlin and took the unsigned contract from him, putting it back into his desk. He then walked back over to him.

"Stand up, Merlin." Arthur ordered. The boy complied.

"Now, kneel." Merlin slowly sunk to his knees before Arthur, looking up at him with his dazzling eyes.


	2. First Time

"Good boy," Arthur purred, reaching out to touch the boy for the first time, running his fingers through his long, unwashed hair.

"I think the first thing we need to do is get you cleaned up," Arthur suggested. "Stand up and follow me."

Merlin obeyed. Arthur was feeling quite pleased with himself. He hadn't thought it would be easy to get Merlin to agree to the arrangement he wanted, but even having the boy for a week without question made him realize quite how desperate the boy was. He resolved to go easy on him, for the most part. Merlin had to understand what life would be like, but Arthur decided that perhaps kindness would ingratiate him to the boy far more than stern discipline.

Arthur led Merlin to his large bathroom. "Take all your clothes off and place them in the hamper there to wash, then join me in the shower."

Without further ado, Arthur also began to undress and threw his clothes into the same hamper before heading into the large, elaborate shower, turning on the water and adjusting the temperature.

Once completely naked, Merlin shyly stepped into the shower and Arthur closed the frosted glass door. Merlin hummed in delight at the feel of the warm water cascading down. He hadn't had a shower in nearly a month and he'd felt downright grungy.

Merlin blushed as he looked at Arthur, while covering himself with his hands.

"Now none of that," Arthur admonished warmly. "Let me see you."

Slowly Merlin moved his hands to his sides, as he began to breathe faster.

"Beautiful," Arthur praised. "I just knew you'd be beautiful."

Arthur cupped Merlin's face, stroking over the long stubble, and leaned in to place a quick kiss on the boy's lips.

"Now let's get you washed and shaved," Arthur suggested. Merlin nodded and allowed Arthur to rub him everywhere with body wash before he produced a razor he had prepared beforehand.

When Arthur said he'd shave Merlin, somehow Merlin had assumed only his face. However, Arthur didn't stop there. He shaved the hair from Merlin's chest, under his arms, around his crotch, and also his legs. Soon the only hair Merlin had left were his eyebrows and on his head.

"There, much better!" Arthur proclaimed before beginning to wash Merlin's hair as well. Then Arthur washed himself as well before leading Merlin out of the shower and wrapping them both in large fluffy towels.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Arthur said with a smirk.

Merlin shook his head. "No, M…master."

"Good boy. You are remembering the rules quite well so far," Arthur praised. "I think we'll get along splendidly this week."

After drying off, Arthur pulled away the towels and dropped them into the hamper as well. His staff would take care of it the next day.

Merlin stood in the middle of the bedroom nervously, trying not to hide his genitals, as he'd been instructed. He watched Arthur walk back from the bathroom. The man was absolutely gorgeous. Tall, muscular in all the right ways, blonde with beautiful blue eyes. Merlin still wondered why a man like that would ever want a scrawny thing like him. Merlin never considered himself particularly attractive, with his large ears and gangly build. He'd been teased at every school he'd attended about his appearance.

Yet, there was a handsome billionaire calling _him_ beautiful. It didn't make sense.

Arthur came back with something small in his hand. He reached out and placed it on Merlin's wrist. It looked like some kind of bracelet.

"That's just a FitBit," Arthur explained. "The collar I planned for you to wear is rather permanent, and that won't do for our one-week trial. You still need to be silently woken each morning to begin your duties, so this will have to do for now. Only take it off in the shower, otherwise you are to wear it at all times. It will be programmed with alarms to remind you during the day as to where you need to be and what you need to be doing. Do you understand?"

Merlin nodded. "Yes, Master."

So far Arthur had been nothing but kind, although Merlin had read the contract and he feared some of what it had entailed. He would do his best this week, to see if he could agree it. To be able to live in such luxury, and especially to make sure his mother was taken care of, it just might be worth it.

"Good boy," Arthur praised again, leaning in to give him another kiss. This time Arthur made the kiss more passionate, pulling the boy closer to him, so that they were practically flush, skin touching skin. Merlin could feel the heat coming off Arthur's skin, and the hardness of his arousal against his groin. Arthur wound his hand around to the back of his head, pulling him deeper into the kiss.

Merlin was practically melting against Arthur when the man stepped back, smiling. "Now go on, get on the bed, hands and knees."

Merlin nodded and did as he was told, although once in position he began trembling. He knew what was coming next. He was about to lose his virginity to a man he'd met only hours before.

Arthur had gone to fetch something and dropped it next to Merlin as Merlin felt the bed dip behind him, making him tremble even more.

Arthur began to stroke him gently along his thighs. "Shh. Calm down. I promise I won't take you roughly. I know this is your first time and I plan to be gentle, which is why we're doing it here and not in the playroom."

Merlin took a deep breath, trying very hard to calm his nerves.

Arthur grabbed the object he'd tossed on the bed and Merlin heard the flip of a plastic top and the cool drizzle of lubricant drizzling down between his cheeks, startling him for a moment.

Then Arthur was gently rubbing the lubricant into his hole. "Relax for me, and bear down as I push in. It will make it easier."

Merlin did as instructed, as he felt Arthur's finger slowly breach past the tight ring of muscle. There was a slight burn, but it felt odd more than anything as he did his best to bear down and allow the foreign intrusion.

"Fuck, you are tight, boy," Arthur murmured as he began to slide his finger in and out. "You are going to feel amazing around my cock."

After a few more slides in and out, Arthur added a second finger and began to scissor them, gently stretching Merlin. Then before he realized what was happening, Arthur began to rub against a spot inside him, causing Merlin to moan, and his cock began to take some serious interest in the proceedings.

"Aha, found it," Arthur said, sounding pleased with himself. "That, my dear boy, is your prostrate. It feels good to have it stimulated, doesn't it?"

"Y…yes, Master," Merlin groaned.

"I will be training you to cum from just my cock hitting your prostrate," Arthur said. "You are not to touch your cock or cum without my permission. Tonight, I give you permission to cum if you can, as much as you can, but only from my cock in your ass. Is that clear?" Arthur punctuated his point by sticking a third finger into Merlin's entrance.

"Ahh! Yes. Yes, Master," Merlin cried out.

"I intend to take you at least twice tonight," Arthur said. "So you will have at least two opportunities to cum."

Merlin swallowed thickly and his heart was pounding rapidly now. It was all very overwhelming, especially as Arthur withdrew his fingers and lined up his cock.

"Remember to bear down," Arthur reminded him, as he began to push the head of his cock into Merlin.

Arthur's cock felt even bigger than it looked. It felt bigger than the three fingers that had just been pumping in and out of him. "Breathe, boy," Arthur instructed. Merlin hadn't even realized he was holding his breath. As he gulped for air, Arthur sank all the way inside him.

Merlin felt so…full. It wasn't as painful as he'd expected it to be, it just felt even more strange than just the one finger had. Arthur remained still, allowing Merlin to adjust around the intrusion. Instead Arthur bent over the boy, placing kisses across his back and nuzzling into his neck.

"I have wanted you for so long," Arthur murmured. "You feel so hot, so tight around my cock. So perfect. You're perfect."

Merlin flushed at the praise. No one had ever spoken to him like that before. Merlin was on the verge of tears when Arthur began to move, pulling his cock almost all the way out, before sliding back in. As promised he took Merlin gently, making love to the boy, letting the pleasure of their coupling build.

Soon Arthur was angling his hips, hitting Merlin's prostrate on every thrust. Merlin keened at the sensation, his cock getting rock hard and his need to cum rising in him as the tension coiled hot and deep.

Then Merlin broke a rule. He hadn't meant to; he had tried so very hard not to. It was the first rule in the contract. He was not to speak, unless asked a direct question or given permission to speak freely.

"Please! Please Master, please let me cum!" Merlin begged.

At the sound of the plea, Arthur stilled his thrusts. "Oh Merlin, you were being such a good boy. Now I will need to add a punishment to your itinerary tomorrow."

Merlin breathed frantically, feeling panic rise up in his chest.

Arthur seemed to sense it and he wrapped his arms around Merlin without pulling out. "Shhh. Breathe. It will be okay. It's only your first time. I promise the punishment will not be too harsh."

Merlin tried to breathe, to ease the panic in his mind. He had read the contract. He had read about the possible punishments. None of them sounded at all pleasant.

"Now there was no need to beg," Arthur said. "I told you that you can cum any time you like tonight. You only have to cum from my cock hitting your prostrate. It can happen, and it will happen. If not tonight, then eventually. Your body will learn in time. Only once you've learned to cum that way will I start controlling when and how often you get to cum."

Merlin merely nodded.

"I'm going to fuck you harder now," Arthur said softly before leaning back up and grabbing Merlin's hips tightly. Without any more preamble Arthur began fucking the boy hard and fast, hitting his prostrate hard. Merlin's cock twitched and leaked pre-cum as his prostrate was being assaulted over and over.

Merlin hovered on the edge willing himself to tip over into the ecstasy that he sought, but to no avail. Arthur came deep inside of him with a roar before collapsing next to him, Merlin remaining unsated.

Merlin remained in position, afraid to move, afraid of breaking yet another rule, tears streaking down his face in frustration.

Once Arthur caught his breath he looked over at Merlin. "Lie down, boy. Come here and cuddle with me."

Merlin lay down onto his side and scooted over so Arthur could gather him up in his arms. "You did splendidly so far. Only one rule broken. I am very pleased with you so far."

Merlin tried to relax into Arthur's arms as the older man began to kiss him gently, licking the tear tracks on his cheeks before delving into his mouth again. Merlin was still achingly hard and he began to squirm in Arthur's embrace.

Arthur looked down at Merlin. "Keep still, boy. I know what you need, but I need you to try and follow the rules. I will take you one more time tonight, so be patient."

Merlin nodded, trying to relax again. "That's better," Arthur cooed.

After more cuddling and kisses, Arthur allowed Merlin to get up and stretch his legs, get a drink of water and use the bathroom before pulling him back onto the bed. Arthur was once again aroused and Merlin braced himself for another fucking.

This time Arthur told Merlin to lie on his back in the center of the bed, placing a pillow beneath his hips. Arthur then produced a pair of leather cuffs. "Raise your hands above your head," Arthur instructed. Merlin did so and found each wrist secured in a cuff which were attached with chains to the sturdy headboard.

"I will take you like this and I don't want to chance your hands being free," Arthur explained. "You _will_ learn to cum just from my cock."

Merlin nodded. He would try. He had to. He was once again achingly hard and Arthur had barely touched him again.

Arthur spread Merlin's legs and slotted himself between them, leaning down and kissing him passionately. Merlin's cock was trapped between his and Arthur's torsos, and it took all his effort to not rut against Arthur's abs, to get the friction he so desperately craved. Instead Merlin let out a whimper and Arthur chuckled into their kiss.

Then Arthur prepped Merlin again although he didn't need it as much as he'd hard earlier since he was still loose and fucked open from earlier, before coating his cock with more lube and sliding back inside Merlin.

Merlin enjoyed it so much more this time and the pleasure built far more quickly as Arthur began to pound into his ass hard and fast.

"God Merlin," Arthur grunted. "Your ass is so perfect. You were made for me to fuck. I'm going to keep you filled with my cum. I'm going to have you begging me to fuck you. You're going to be my little slut, begging for my cock. Say it! Say that you're my slut."

"I…I'm your slut, Master," Merlin gasped as he began to feel his orgasm build as his prostrate kept getting hit, over and over. He just needed a little more…if Arthur could just keep going.

"Cum for me, slut," Arthur ordered as kept pounding into Merlin. "Show me how much you love my cock. Cum. Now."

The commanding tone and the unrelenting stimulation together finally brought Merlin over the edge and he came, hard. Spurts of his seed landed as far up as his chin and spread out over his chest. Merlin cried out and arched into Arthur's thrusts when he came, clenching around Arthur, bringing the man over the edge as well as he filled his slave with his seed.

Arthur held himself deep inside Merlin for several moments while he caught his breath. Then he smiled down at Merlin. "See, I knew you could do it."

Arthur carefully slid out of Merlin. "Bend your knees and hold your ass up. Don't let any of my cum drip out. I'll be right back."

Merlin nodded and then Arthur went into the playroom. He brought back what looked decidedly like a plug.

Arthur climbed back onto the bed and began lubing up the toy. "I'm going to plug you up. You're to keep my cum inside you all night." Arthur then slid the plug into Merlin's loosened hole.

Arthur then went to get a wash cloth and gently cleaned off Merlin before releasing him from the leather cuffs.

"We're going to sleep now," Arthur informed him after tossing the cloth into the bathroom sink. "Do you recall what to do when your alarm wakes you up in the morning?"

Merlin nodded. "Yes, Master."

"Good," Arthur said before turning out the light and climbing into bed, helping Merlin slip under the covers next to him, pulling Merlin close to him. "Good night, boy."

Merlin lay awake in Arthur's arms for a long while after that, going through his head what a turn of events had brought him here, laying in another man's arms in a luxurious bed, when hours before he'd stood, starving and forlorn, ready to jump to his death off of a bridge.

So far Arthur had been nothing but kind and considerate, even in his fucking of him, but the contract hinted at the potential for cruelty. Merlin still was unsure about signing the contract but he could not deny that he was, for the first time in years, content.

He snuggled further into Arthur's warm embrace then and allowed himself to relax and sleep.


	3. The Date

The next morning, the FitBit on his wrist began to vibrate silently, slowly waking Merlin from his slumber. It took a moment for him to orient himself and remember where he was. He then remembered what the contract had specified his morning duties were.

This would be the first real test to see if he could endure what Arthur wanted of him. One of the reasons he had hesitated to sign the contract that would enslave him to Arthur.

He was still resolved to try, grateful to have the chance to back out of this after a week if he couldn't handle it. With that in mind he crawled under the covers and, taking a deep breath, he took Arthur's half-hard cock into his mouth, licking and suckling on it gently, in order to wake up Arthur in the way he'd been instructed to.

At first Arthur remained still, deep in sleep. After several minutes, just as Merlin's jaw began to feel sore, Arthur began to stir and groan. Merlin continued his ministrations, doing his best to breathe through his nose under the covers, inhaling Arthur's musky scent with each breath.

Soon Arthur was thrusting his hips up slightly trying to delve deeper into the wet heat of Merlin's mouth. Merlin kept backing off a little, trying to avoid being choked. That's when Arthur threw off the covers and gently grabbed Merlin's head. "Stay still," Arthur ordered, and began to slide his cock deeper and deeper into Merlin's mouth. "That's it, you can take it. Breathe through your nose and relax your throat."

Merlin complied and soon Arthur was fucking his throat in earnest. Merlin tried hard to swallow around the invading cock in order to stop from gagging. Soon Arthur slammed his cock deep down Merlin's throat and just held him there. "Swallow and keep swallowing," Arthur growled. As Merlin began to swallow, Arthur groaned as he released his seed deep down Merlin's throat. Merlin kept swallowing until Arthur finally released him and pulled him off his softening cock.

"Very good," Arthur said sounding pleased. "I am glad how eager you have been to please me so far. Remember your next task. Off the bed and on your knees."

Merlin scrambled to comply, his heart hammering in his chest and his stomach roiling at the thought of his next duty. This one would be much more difficult than the last.

Merlin knelt by the bed and Arthur sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. Then Merlin crawled closer and took Arthur's softening cock into his mouth again. "Now just relax and swallow what comes. Remember, it's completely sterile."

Merlin breathed deeply through his nose, trying to calm himself down as the warm stream of salty liquid began to fill his mouth. He swallowed as best as he could and tried not to throw up. Tears began slide down his face at the humiliation of it all.

Once Arthur was done he gently patted his head and praised him. "Good boy. Go on and finish getting ready. My manservant George will be arriving shortly to give you your morning enema."

Merlin nodded and got up and went to the bathroom. He took time to pee and then gratefully brushed his teeth to get the awful tastes out of his mouth. He then waited, kneeling in the large bathtub, for George to give him his enema.

Soon a man in a fancy three-piece suit came in carrying the enema equipment and he hastily hung up the back with the warm Epsom salt solution. "Hands and knees," George said gruffly before removing the plug and slowly inserting the enema tube into Merlin's ass. George roughly pushed Merlin's shoulders down to get his ass up higher and then left him there until all of the solution had drained into him.

"Hold that until the timer beeps," George instructed. "Then empty yourself in the toilet. Afterwards you are to take a shower and meet Mr. Pendragon in the playroom."

Merlin merely nodded. He waited as patiently as possible for the timer to go off, but his insides began cramping and he began to squirm with discomfort. However, he remembered that he was already in for a punishment today and didn't want to add to it. So Merlin endured the cramping as best as he could and gratefully rushed to the toilet as soon as the timer beeped.

It was a relief to empty himself and a greater relief to get into the shower, after removing his FitBit. He thoroughly washed himself and then remembered that Arthur preferred him shaven. So he shaved everywhere he could reach before finally leaving the shower and toweling himself off with the fresh towels someone had placed out for him.

Afterwards he fitted the FitBit back onto his wrist and slowly made his way towards the playroom. There was a note on the door.

 _Merlin,_

 _I had to take an urgent business call. Wait for me on the spanking bench._

 _Arthur_

Merlin gulped and entered the playroom and made his way over towards the spanking bench and gingerly climbed up onto it, positioning himself as best as he could.

Then Merlin waited while his stomach grumbled. According to his itinerary, he would be punished every morning for any infractions he had committed the day before. The punishments were to occur after his morning enema and shower, but before breakfast.

Merlin actually dozed off a bit waiting on the bench for Arthur. He startled awake when he heard Arthur enter the playroom.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," Arthur apologized. "Let's get this over with so we can both have some breakfast."

Merlin steeled himself as Arthur firmly strapped him onto the bench by his ankles, knees, thighs, torso, upper arms, wrists and neck. He was almost completely immobilized.

"Tell me why you are being punished," Arthur prompted.

"I spoke without permission, Master," Merlin replied.

"You will receive twenty strikes from the paddle," Arthur informed him. "That should be enough to remind you not to do that again."

Arthur began by slapping Merlin with his bare hand several times. "This is just to warm you up," Arthur explains, slapping Merlin several more times on each cheek before he readied the paddle.

Merlin grunted softly with each slap, but when the paddle came down he cried out. He really wanted to just tell Arthur off after that but he took a deep breath just as the next hit came.

The paddling hurt, but was also strangely erotic. He'd endured spankings before from his various foster families. This was different, more intimate somehow, with the way Arthur kept his hand on his lower back the entire time, and paused between each strike to let the heat and tingle spread and settle into Merlin.

By the fifteenth strike Merlin was actually sobbing, holding back his words of apology lest he break the same rule he was being punished for again.

When it was all over Arthur went to put away the paddle and came back holding a jar of something that he slowly soothed over Merlin's reddened ass. "That should help speed up the healing. You took your punishment well, but we're not quite finished yet I think."

Merlin whimpered in fear at the sound of that, when Arthur chuckled. "Now behave. I won't spank you anymore, but you look just too delicious in that position for me not to fuck you."

Soon Arthur had them both slicked up and ready and was sinking his hardened length into Merlin, fucking him hard and fast. "If you can cum, you have my permission to," Arthur grunted as he took his pleasure from Merlin.

Merlin had been shocked at his arousal during the spanking and he was still hard and leaking when Arthur began to fuck him. It didn't take long and he was keening with every thrust, so close to the edge as Arthur kept pounding him.

Then almost without warning, Merlin came hard, spurting against the spanking bench and clenching around Arthur, forcing the man over the edge.

"Fuck!" Arthur growled as he came hard and deep inside Merlin. Arthur kept moving his softening cock in and out for a few moments after that, trying to catch his breath. "Fuck that was amazing Merlin. You really catch on quick."

Arthur slowly removed himself and once again plugged Merlin's ass, instructing him to keep Arthur's cum inside. Then Arthur began to undo the straps keeping Merlin secured to the bench. Once Merlin was released, he stood, sniffling, before Arthur. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry, Master. I'll try never to speak without permission again," Merlin said contritely.

"Good boy. See that you don't," Arthur said. "I am very proud of you for taking all that so well," Arthur said with genuine affection, placing a kiss on Merlin's lips while cupping his face and wiping away his tears. "Now come, it's time for breakfast."

...

Arthur led a very naked Merlin down to the kitchen for breakfast after dressing himself in a pair of sweatpants. Merlin had almost forgotten that part of the contract. He wasn't to wear clothing as long as he was inside the house. Even when guests visited.

Merlin felt very exposed when he walked into the kitchen and Arthur's kitchen staff saw him. He blushed and tried to cover himself until Arthur pulled his hands away. "No need to be ashamed of yourself, not around the household staff."

Merlin nodded and went to sit by the counter where he'd eaten the day before.

"Merlin!" Arthur admonished and pointed at the pillow next to Arthur's chair. Something else Merlin had nearly forgotten. Kneeling at his master's feet and eating from his hand. Like a dog.

Merlin dutifully sunk to his knees and allowed himself to be fed pancakes, bacon and eggs from Arthur's fingers, making sure to clean the fingers after each bite with his tongue.

Afterwards, Arthur got up and poured them each a cup of coffee and gestured for Merlin to follow him into his office.

"Please have a seat, we have some things to talk about," Arthur said, handing Merlin a cup of coffee while allowing him to sit in the same wingback chair he'd been in the day before.

"During this discussion, you may speak freely," Arthur said. "The rules are currently not in effect."

"Thanks," Merlin nodded.

"Don't get used to it," Arthur huffed, with a smile. "First of all, I have to say, you are one of the most natural submissive I've ever met. You really have exceeded all my expectations so far."

"Thanks, I guess," Merlin shrugged while taking a sip of his coffee.

"I may be rushing things, but how likely do you think it will be for you to sign that contract today, after everything you've experienced so far?" Arthur asked.

"Dunno," Merlin shrugged. "The part that makes me hesitate is the drinking piss bit. Everything else was okay, but that bit. I very nearly threw up all over you. I dunno if I can sign at all if I'm expected to do _that_ every morning."

"Was that the only part that really bothered you?" Arthur asked seriously.

Merlin thought about it and nodded. "Yeah. At least it's the only part I really don't want to agree to."

"Would you accept instead an additional spanking each day? Drinking my piss in the morning was meant as a way to remind you of your place. I could do so with a sound spanking instead," Arthur suggested.

Merlin was silent for a moment but eventually nodded. "Yeah I could do that."

Arthur beamed. "So if I made that change in the contract, you'd be willing to sign it today instead of in a week?"

Merlin blushed and his breath hitched. He felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness. He'd never in a million years would have thought he'd willingly agree to become someone's sex slave. Everything he'd experienced so far had been overwhelming, but tolerable, and the promises Arthur had made were so tempting.

"On one other condition," Merlin said, taking note of how much Arthur seemed to want to rush the process. "The contract expires upon my mother's death. So you'll have incentive to help her live a long, healthy life."

Arthur thought about that. Merlin's mother was a strong, resilient woman. With the proper nutrition and living conditions, she could easily live another twenty or more years. By then they'd be both well into middle-age.

"Yes, that would be acceptable," Arthur agreed. "So then you'll sign?"

Merlin nodded. "Yeah. If you make those changes to the contract, then I'll sign. Today."

Arthur took a deep breath and smiled warmly. "Alright. Then you're off the clock until it's signed. If you'd like there are video game systems in the living room, you could play until I get the revised contract ready."

"Yeah? Thanks. I haven't had a chance to play for ages," Merlin said, smiling. "Can I also put some clothes on?"

Arthur nodded. "Sure. You'll find sweats in your closet upstairs."

Merlin went back to the bedroom first, and sure enough there were two closets he'd neglected to notice the day before, and one had been marked "Merlin." Everything in the closet was fitted for his size. Merlin was overwhelmed that Arthur had been so sure that he'd eventually sign the contract.

It felt good to be in clothes again, especially clean clothes. Once dressed, Merlin found his way to the living room and within the cabinet beneath the TV there was every current type of video game system and along the wall were several bookshelves filled with games. It took him awhile to choose because there were so many.

When Arthur was finished drawing up the new contract he found Merlin sitting happily, playing one of his favorite games, Mario Kart.

At first Arthur had wanted Merlin to sign the contract as soon as it was ready but seeing Merlin sitting there, looking so innocent still, even after all he'd subjected him to, put a lump in Arthur's throat.

Arthur went and carefully put away the contract, asked George to order them a pizza and sodas. Then he went down to join Merlin and they spent the rest of the afternoon playing video games and eating pizza.

As Arthur was putting away the video game system, Merlin curled back into himself. "So, is the contract ready?"

Arthur came and crouched next to Merlin. "Yeah, but let's not worry about it until after dinner. I'd like to take you out, if that's alright?"

"You mean, like…on a proper date?" Merlin asked.

"Sort of. I am just really enjoying this time with you," Arthur said. "In fact, I think I want to make one more change to the contract. At least once each week we'll have a free period like this, where you're not my slave. Where we're just hanging out and enjoying ourselves. Would you like that?"

Merlin nodded. "Yeah, that would be great."

Arthur smiled. "Then it's done. Now come on let's get dressed. I want to show you my favorite restaurant."

...

So now they were dressed to the nines and heading out for a dinner date, just 36 hours after Arthur basically rescued him. Merlin was still trying to process everything but he was actually glad he hadn't been asked to sign that contract just yet. It had been nice to just spend time and talk to Arthur.

 _Under different circumstances…_

When they arrived the paparazzi were all over them in an instant and Arthur just took Merlin's hand and ushered him into the restaurant. It was one of the priciest places in town, Merlin knew. He'd heard some kids at his last school talking about it and how the Arthur Pendragon could be seen there every other week with a new romantic partner on his arm.

Apparently this week that partner was him. Merlin still couldn't quite believe it. Now his face was going to be plastered all over the tabloids as Arthur's latest liaison.

Arthur smirked as he led Merlin to _his_ table. It was a small intimate booth for two in one of the darker corners. Arthur didn't even have to order, the staff knew exactly what he liked and they were soon being served.

Merlin had to admit the food was amazing. He'd never had anything like it before. They were all small bites of various things, each one delicious. Arthur referred to it all as something called "Tapas."

They washed it all down with a bottle of wine while being serenaded by a man playing Spanish guitar. It was all so wonderfully romantic. If it weren't for that damned contract hanging over Merlin's head, the one he had yet to sign, he might have actually fallen a bit for Arthur. Well maybe he was anyway, and that's what bothered him. How could he fall for someone who wanted to _enslave_ him?

On the way back to Arthur's home, Arthur entwined his fingers with Merlin while they sat next to each other in the back of his limousine.

"I really enjoyed having dinner with you," Arthur said, smiling.

"Yeah," Merlin agreed. "It was nice. Now I know why you take all your dates there."

Arthur stiffened a bit at the mention of the others he'd taken there. "I didn't realize you read the tabloids," Arthur said.

"I don't, but kids at school were always talking about your latest conquest," Merlin shrugged.

"Ah, yes. I forgot you were still in school until recently," Arthur said.

"Yeah," Merlin groused. "They wouldn't even let me stay long enough to graduate. I would have too, you know. I had good grades."

"I know you did," Arthur said. "Would you like it if I could arrange for you to complete your studies and graduate?"

Merlin turned to Arthur. "You would do that? Despite everything else you want? I mean if I'm to just be your slave for the next couple of decades I wouldn't really need it."

"Doesn't matter if you need it or not," Arthur shrugged. "If it's something important to you, I can arrange it."

"Yeah, it is always something I thought I'd be able to accomplish in my life," Merlin said. "If you could do that, I'd really appreciate it."

"Then it shall be done," Arthur purred, pulling Merlin closer and drawing him into a kiss.

Once they were back at the house, Arthur took Merlin's hand again and led him back to the office where the contract was waiting. "Go ahead and review the changes. If you agree to everything, initial each page as you go and then sign it."

Merlin took a deep breath and began to review the document again. All the changes they had discussed were there. No more drinking Arthur's urine. _Ever._ At least once each week there would be a free period when Merlin could just be himself, and not adhere to the rules. And the contract expired the moment his mother passed away.

Merlin took time to reread the rest of the contract for any hidden _'gotchas'_ that he may have missed and couldn't find any. So finally, he took a deep breath and reached for the pen as he flicked his eyes up at Arthur who was looking at him expectantly.

Merlin got to work initialing each page and then paused at the last page. Here he was about to sign his entire life over to a man he barely knew. His heart was pounding and he looked at Arthur one last time before finally signing the contract.

Arthur smiled warmly at him as he came over and took the contract and signed it himself. He then placed the document into his desk, securing it with a key and then opened another drawer in his desk and took out a large, square box that looked like it was meant to hold a necklace or other jewelry.

Arthur brought it over to where Merlin sat. With the contract signed Merlin had to remind himself that the rules were once again in effect.

"Kneel, boy," Arthur said. Merlin knelt before Arthur as he had the day before. Arthur opened the box and showed Merlin what lay within. It was his new collar and it was…beautiful. It looked like it was probably gold plated steel, and he knew once it was locked in place, could not be removed without something serious like bolt cutters.

Arthur took the collar out and placed it around Merlin's neck, snapping it in place and removing the pin to permanently lock it.

"Now you belong to me," Arthur said and Merlin inclined his head, bowing before his Master.


	4. Complications

Arthur continued to be pleased with how well Merlin took to his role. He was right that Merlin was a natural submissive. Here rarely slipped up and so Arthur was actually glad they agreed t the daily spanking as part of their routine because Merlin rarely required punishment. Every week during their free periods, Arthur would talk to Merlin and check on the state of his mental health, but the boy seemed quite content.

In fact, Merlin seemed overall quite happy and Arthur started to increase their free time together because he enjoyed Merlin's company outside of his slave role almost more than he did in it.

Arthur loved how happy Merlin was whenever he went to have lunch with his mother each week. Arthur allowed for an additional one-hour free period after Merlin returned from those lunches each week, just so Merlin could tell Arthur all about the lunch and how well his mother was now doing.

Arthur also was having a wonderful time showing Merlin off to the paparazzi and took him out on dates and other excursions often.

After a year the paparazzi were beginning to speculate marriage instead of who his next conquest would be and Arthur was pleased to have finally changed their rhetoric about him being the perpetual bachelor playboy.

...

One afternoon, Arthur was working in his office while Merlin was contentedly warming his cock, kneeling on his pillow under the desk, his head leaning against one of Arthur's thighs and half dozing, when of a sudden there was a commotion at the front of the house.

Arthur quickly pulled his cock out of Merlin's mouth and zipped himself up and made his way towards the foyer. "Stay put, boy," Arthur instructed.

"What is going on here?" Arthur demanded as he entered his foyer and saw George arguing with several police officers.

"I am Detective Cenred. We have a warrant to search your premises," Cenred said, handing him the document before pushing further inside.

"What is the meaning of this?" Arthur scowled. "What am I being accused of?"

"Kidnapping, rape, unlawful detainment of an individual, for starters," Cenred said as he began walking through the house.

They soon found a very naked Merlin hiding under Arthur's desk. "Are you Merlin Emrys?"

Merlin looked up at Arthur, and Arthur took a deep breath. "Go ahead and talk to them Merlin. You're officially on free time until further notice."

Merlin's demeanor changed then and he stood up, no longer ashamed of his nakedness as he had been a year before. "Yeah, I'm Merlin. Why?"

"We're getting you out of here," Cenred said gently, as if speaking to a child. "Do you have any clothes?"

"Yeah I have a whole closet full," Merlin replied. "Why are you taking me away? Arthur? Did I do something wrong?"

"Don't speak to him," Cenred instructed. "He won't be able to hurt you anymore." Cenred was looking suspiciously at Merlin's reddened ass.

"No!" Merlin shook his head. "No, he doesn't hurt me. Not really. He treats me really well."

"That's not what we've been told," Cenred said. "Now let's get that collar off you. Higgins! Get the bolt cutters!"

"NO!" Merlin backed away from Cenred. "NO! You leave my collar alone! It was a gift!"

"Oh you poor sod, he really has broken you hasn't he?" Cenred sighed. "Alright boys, arrest Pendragon and get someone from social services to take care of the kid."

"Wait, I'm not a kid," Merlin protested. "I turned nineteen over a month ago!"

"That doesn't make what that bastard did to you any more legal," Cenred said. "Go put some clothes on already."

"No," Merlin stood his ground. "I am here consensually, of my own free will. I signed a contract. Arthur gave me every chance to get out of it and I still chose to stay."

"You're saying he didn't kidnap you?" Cenred asked.

"Yes, I am saying he didn't kidnap me. I chose to get into his car when he stopped me from jumping off the bridge that day," Merlin explained. "I chose to stay with him. I chose to sign that contract. Everything, absolutely everything that Arthur and I have done together this past year was with my consent. All of it."

Merlin was seething at this point and Arthur was beside himself. "Will you stop harassing my boyfriend!"

Merlin looked at Arthur a bit startled at that declaration but decided not to say anything at that moment.

"Look, Pendragon," Cenred stepped into Arthur's face, who was currently held by two officers who had him handcuffed. "We received reports that Merlin Emrys had been kidnapped and held hostage for the past year. We also have a witness who said he was being tortured and raped. The we come in here and find the kid naked, his ass red from an obvious beating, and wearing a slave collar. That doesn't make it look like he's anyone's boyfriend."

"How would you know?" Merlin shouted. "I am telling you that this is consensual. Yeah it might get a little kinky, but so what? Since when is that illegal?"

"Well, technically it's not illegal," Cenred backed down. "But we have to investigate reports like this."

"Who reported this anyway?" Merlin asked.

"Your friend, Gwaine, and one of Pendragon's household staff," Cenred replied. "Gwaine's been worried sick about you. He helped us in the investigation. When the girl from the maid staff came forward, that's when we have enough evidence to finally get a warrant to come in here and rescue you."

"Hey detective," one of the cops searching upstairs called. "Check this out!"

They all made their way upstairs to see what the commotion was about. They'd found the playroom. Of course they did.

Merlin ducked into his closet which had been unfortunately ransacked to grab some sweats and sneakers to put on. "Oi! Why'd you have to throw my clothes around like that?!"

"Those are all your clothes?" Cenred asked suspiciously.

"Yeah. Arthur and I each have our own closets you clotpole!" Merlin said in frustration.

"You say everything was consensual, so how do you explain this?" Cenred indicated their playroom.

"I already said we were kinky," Merlin said crossing his arms matter-of-factly. "That just proves it."

"Well now that your dressed you can come with us, willingly or not," Cenred said, nodding at two officers behind Merlin.

"Alright, alright, I'll go with you," Merlin groused. "But you better not hurt Arthur!"

Arthur shook his head and was mumbling something about the paparazzi having a field day with this.

...

Merlin sat in front of the police cruiser, next to Cenred while Arthur was handcuffed in the back with an officer keeping an eye on him.

As they approached the precinct there were media vans everywhere and Arthur hung his head. "Now I'm going to have to delay taking Pendragon Industries public. My investors are going to give me hell over all this bad press."

Merlin turned around. "Don't worry Arthur. I'll try to find a way to make it right. I…I'm so sorry."

Arthur looked at him sympathetically. "Don't worry about it. I'll call Gaius. He'll know what to do. Just cooperate with them until then, ok?

Merlin nodded. "Ok."

...

As Merlin was escorted into the police station, former schoolmate Gwaine ran over. "Merlin!"

"Oi, what's the matter with you?" Merlin said angrily. "Why'd you report that I'd been kidnapped, you dolt?"

"Because you were," Gwaine insisted. "You just disappeared and I was worried!"

"You knew I was getting kicked out by my fosters," Merlin said. "Where were you then? I spent a month living on the streets! Arthur took me in and he's been taking care of me. Where were you?"

"Wait, you mean they really kicked you out? Is that why you dropped out?" Gwaine asked.

"Yeah, but it's alright," Merlin shrugged. "Arthur took care of it for me. Got me a tutor and everything. I finished my last exams and graduated just a couple of months ago."

"So that rich bloke is really your boyfriend?" Gwaine looked shocked. "When I saw you in the tabloids, I thought for sure he grabbed you and was doing nasty things to you. Then that maid came forward and confirmed you were being tortured and raped."

"Did I look that miserable in the photos?" Merlin asked. "I remember the maid. Arthur had to fire her because she'd walked in during one of our sessions in the playroom when I was being particularly loud and she screamed at Arthur and called him all sorts of nasty things. It totally ruined the mood."

"Wait so you're just really into BDSM and stuff?" Gwaine asked. "Aw man I'm sorry if I made a mess of things for you."

"Yeah I hope you didn't mess things up permanently," Merlin sighed. "They said I've got to talk to a social worker now and Arthur's been arrested over all this mess. How could you do that? Why didn't you just try and contact me and talk to me?!"

"I dunno, thought you'd been nabbed and when you never came around again, I thought going to the police was the right choice," Gwaine shrugged.

"I just hope Arthur doesn't dump me back in the streets where he found me," Merlin frowned. "He's been helping take care of my mum and everything."

"Wait, you're seeing your mum again too?" Gwaine looked more and more miserable. "Man I really am sorry to cause such a fuss. Detective Cenred seemed so happy to have a reason to go after Arthur too."

"Shit?! Really? Wow maybe it wasn't all about me then," Merlin said. "Lots of people are always speculating that Arthur is into the same illegal shit his dad was, but everything he does is legit."

"Merlin Emrys?" A woman came up behind him asked.

"Yeah?"

"Please come with me Mr. Emrys," she said as she walked off. Merlin waved to Gwaine and jogged to catch up with her. "So how long until Arthur and I can go home?"

"You and I are going to have a long talk," she said. "Then I am making arrangements for you in a group home for homeless former foster children who have aged out of the system. We're going to get you some job training there and help you get back on your feet."

"What?!" Merlin shouted. "That is absolutely ridiculous. I want to go home and I want to go home now."

"Sit down, Mr. Emrys," she said. "First of all my name is Gwen, and I have been assigned to your case. You are clearly suffering from something known as Stockholm Syndrome, which is common for people who are kidnapped and forced to do things against their will."

"I do not have bloody Stockholm Syndrome!" Merlin yelled in frustration. "Look, yes, I signed a contract enslaving me to Arthur. But I signed it willingly. Arthur even made several changes in the contract to accommodate my needs. Everything that is detailed in there, I consented to it. _All of it_."

...

A couple of hours later and Merlin was practically weeping in frustration. "Just let me see Arthur. Please!"

"No, Merlin," Gwen shook her head. "We're going to make sure that man stays far away from you from now on."

"He didn't do anything wrong!" Merlin shouted. "Look I'm a grown man. I'm nineteen. Why are you keeping me here? Why won't you let me go home? Am I also under arrest?"

Just then an impeccably dressed older man walked in. "I am representing Mr. Pendragon and I have been instructed to see to Mr. Emrys' needs."

"Gaius!" Merlin said with relief, recognizing Arthur's lawyer and trusted advisor. "Are you here to take me home?"

"Yes, Mr. Emrys," Gaius said. "They have no grounds to hold you."

Gwen sighed in defeat. She had thought to convince Merlin that he had no recourse. "No I don't suppose I do, but I promise I will come to check on you and make sure that monster isn't hurting you further."

"Do not call my boyfriend a monster," Merlin seethed. "And don't judge us for how we choose to conduct ourselves in _our_ private home."

Merlin isn't sure exactly when he began to think of Arthur's home as _'ours,'_ but it felt right to say it, especially under these circumstances.

As Gaius led Merlin out of the precinct and towards the familiar limousine, Merlin finally began to relax. "Is Arthur alright?" Merlin asked.

Gaius nodded. "Yes, he posted bail and is back home. He asked me to come fetch you."

They rode in silence while Merlin impatiently bounced his knee the entire way back. He was anxious to see Arthur again.

Merlin could have taken the out that Gwen had offered him. He could have gone to the group home and taken the job training and gotten away from Arthur. Yet he didn't. It didn't even occur to him to want to renege on their contract, and he found he missed Arthur and was worried about him.

The more he thought about it though, the more he realized his feelings went deeper than just missing Arthur. He had lost himself in his role as Arthur's slave, and he hadn't even realized how deep his feelings for the man he generally referred to as _Master_ ran until now.

No this wasn't Stockholm Syndrome. It was something far worse.

 _It was love._


	5. A Proposal

As soon as the limousine stopped, Merlin jumped out and ran up the steps into Arthur's mansion. Arthur was waiting for him in the foyer, pacing.

"Arthur!" Merlin cried happily, flinging himself at the man.

"Merlin!" Arthur laughed, swinging the younger man around before pulling him into a hug. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just glad to be home," Merlin smiled.

Arthur reached up to cup Merlin's face. "You really do think of this as your home?"

"Yeah of course I do," Merlin nodded. "I know what they are accusing you of and they tried to tell me I had Stockholm Syndrome or some such shite. They didn't want to let me go. They were going to put me in some kind of _group home_. And they have the gall to call you a kidnapper!"

Arthur leaned in and gave Merlin a quick kiss. "I was worried they were going to take you from me. That's why I sent Gaius. He'll take care of everything. We just need to remain in free time for a while, understand?"

"Yeah Arthur," Merlin nodded. "If we can maybe still play a little once in a while?"

Arthur chuckled. "Yeah, we'll just keep it in the bedroom for now."

Arthur led Merlin into the living room and poured them both a drink before curling up on the couch and gesturing for Merlin to join him.

"Hey, back when they were arresting you and trying to drag me off, did you mean what you said?" Merlin asked.

"I always mean what I say," Arthur said, brushing some of Merlin's hair out of his face. "Which part are you asking about?"

"When you called me your boyfriend," Merlin said blushing.

Arthur hesitated at that before nodding. "Yeah I suppose I did. We have been going out on _dates_ for over a year now, after all."

"So that means you must like me then, yeah?" Merlin said smiling.

"Of course I like you," Arthur said. "I wouldn't have you share my bed if I didn't like you."

Merlin was suddenly overcome with emotion and tears spilled down his cheeks, unable to hold back any longer. "A year ago I didn't think it would be possible, with the contract and all that, but…" Merlin took a deep breath and looked at Arthur. "Arthur Pendragon, I think I'm in love with you."

Arthur's breath hitched at Merlin's confession. Arthur sat up fully and looked Merlin straight in the eye, cupping his cheeks in his hands. "You…you're in love? With me? After all the things I did to you this past year?"

"Well, I had fun with all that," Merlin smiled. "Apparently I'm just as much of a kinky bastard as you are."

Arthur took Merlin's hand and placed it over his heart and Merlin could feel how fast it was beating.

"Do you remember what I told you, about why I chose you?" Arthur asked.

Merlin nodded. "Yeah something about my dazzling eyes."

"It was more than that," Arthur said. "I became obsessed with you. I learned everything I could because I dreamt of you every night, I longed for you every day. When you agreed to be mine I couldn't have been more thrilled. Because…because I was already in love with you."

"Wait, you were in love with me, and that's why you wanted to enslave me?" Merlin asked in shock.

"Everyone else I'd ever been with, they all left me eventually," Arthur confessed. "I was never able to hold on to anyone I truly cared about. Even my own father left."

"I thought your father died?" Merlin asked, confused.

"Yes," Arthur nodded. "He left me in death. My mother also left, dying when I was born. I've always been alone; other than the servants I pay. I guess I thought the only way to get you to stay was to enslave you."

Merlin knew he should be furious, but after everything they'd shared this past year, he just chuckled. "Well it seems you managed to enslave my heart."

Arthur pulled Merlin closer and kissed him with every ounce of emotion he had before standing up and taking Merlin's hand. "Come to bed?"

Merlin nodded and let his _boyfriend_ lead him to their bedroom. Merlin noted along the way that the house had been tidied since the police practically ransacked everything. The bedroom was once again impeccable as always. It felt good to be home.

"Tonight, my love," Arthur purred into his ear. "Tonight I don't want to merely fuck your brains out. Tonight I want to make love to you."

Merlin's heart clenched at Arthur's words, as Arthur slowly undressed Merlin, who was still wearing just sweats and sneakers from the earlier commotion. Arthur kissed and caressed every bit of skin that he bared. Then he undressed himself and led Merlin to their bed.

And it truly was _their_ bed.

Arthur nearly wept for joy, remembering that Merlin had said he loved him. Arthur lay down, and pulled Merlin with him so that Merlin lay atop him. He kissed Merlin tenderly, almost reverently. He had almost lost Merlin today. The young man could have chosen to leave and there would have been little he could have done to stop it, despite the contract.

After everything Arthur had done in the past year, Merlin still chose him. Merlin actually had fallen in love with him. Arthur could still hardly believe it.

Arthur resolved in that moment, as they were lying there, kissing and caressing each other, to do better by Merlin. They both clearly enjoyed all the kinky games they had played together over the past year, but Merlin deserved better than what was in that damnable contract.

Arthur loved feeling Merlin's smooth skin against his own, and he slowly turned them so Merlin lay on his back beneath Arthur. The older man began kissing and licking Merlin everywhere, worshiping every inch of the younger man who was beginning to writhe beneath him.

"You're so beautiful," Arthur breathed as he licked and suckled on one of Merlin's nipples.

"Arthur!" Merlin moaned, arching into the man's touch. "Please! I need you…"

Arthur then kissed and licked further down Merlin's torso, getting a wicked grin on his face as he slowly licked up the length of Merlin's arousal. Arthur had never done this with Merlin before and it felt amazing to make Merlin gasp as he took the head of his cock between his lips. Arthur had used Merlin's mouth many times and he tried to remember all the things he loved for Merlin to do to him.

Merlin gasped as Arthur took his entire length down his throat, gagging slightly before he remembered to swallow.

"Oh gods, Arthur! I won't last long if you keep doing that," Merlin groaned. "Please Arthur, please. I want you. I need you inside me. _Please_."

Arthur blindly reached for the bottle of lube they kept under the pillows and quickly slicked his fingers, loosening Merlin. It didn't take long as Arthur had been fucking Merlin two or three times each day for the past year, so he never really needed a lot of prep anymore.

Arthur then put on a liberal amount of lube on his cock and crawled up between Merlin's legs to capture the younger man's mouth, as he sank his length into Merlin, savoring every inch as he swallowed the pleasured moan Merlin made.

Once seated Arthur broke the kiss and looked into his lover's eyes. "You always feel so amazing. I love you so much Merlin."

Slowly Arthur began to move, thrusting slow and deep, making love to Merlin, who was eagerly meeting each thrust as he moaned and writhed beneath Arthur.

Arthur leaned in to kiss Merlin passionately, while keeping his thrusts slow but steady. He kissed Merlin along his jawline and down the long column of his neck as his lover arched his body into him when his cock finally hit the younger man's prostrate.

Arthur reverently kissed along the golden collar that Merlin still wore as Merlin began to thrust up more urgently, silently begging Arthur for more.

Arthur increased the pace slightly before whispering more endearments into Merlin's ear. "You're so amazing. Are you getting close, baby? Can you cum for me soon?"

Merlin couldn't respond with anything other than a groan as he coaxed Arthur to go faster. As Arthur complied Merlin cried out as he rolled his head back in ecstasy and came hard between them.

The feel of the vice-like grip of Merlin's ass around his cock, sent Arthur over the edge, and he came deep inside Merlin.

Arthur was breathing heavily and he leaned his forehead against Merlin, smiling brightly. "Love you so much, baby."

Arthur slowly slipped his softening cock out of Merlin and collapsed on his lover's side, pulling him into a warm embrace. "I'll do better by you from now on," Arthur promised. "I'll never let them try and take you from me again."

"I wouldn't let them take me," Merlin said. "I love you too."

Arthur got up then and brought over a wash cloth to clean up before slipping back into bed. "Let's get some sleep, Love. We can figure things out tomorrow."

"Yeah, alright," Merlin said sleepily as he curled into Arthur's embrace once again.

...

The next morning Arthur was awakened by his usual blow job. At first he groaned in pleasure until he remembered the events of the previous day.

"Merlin, Love," Arthur said sleepily. "You don't have to do that if you don't want."

Merlin slid his mouth off Arthur's hardened flesh. "But I do want to. Doesn't feel like morning without it now."

Merlin then dutifully went back to work and Arthur decided he wasn't going to argue the point; especially with how close Merlin had gotten him. It wasn't long before he was coming down Merlin's throat with a groan.

Merlin sat up and smiled happily before getting up and padding off to the bathroom to pee. Merlin then turned on the shower and waggled his eyes at Arthur invitingly. Arthur chuckled and got up and peed as well before joining Merlin in the hot shower, remembering the first time they shared it. Merlin still dutifully shaved himself every morning.

Arthur leaned in to kiss Merlin under the hot water and took the razor away from him. "Do you want to keep shaving? It's ok if you don't."

"Actually I like it. Makes me feel cleaner all over. I loved it when you did it for me the first time," Merlin confessed.

Arthur smiled. "Then let me do it for you again, Love." Merlin nodded and Arthur soaped him up before beginning the process, carefully shaving everywhere, including the boy's balls.

They were both getting aroused again, but Merlin shook his head when Arthur tried to bend Merlin over. "I have a better idea."

Merlin then turned off the shower and stepped out, toweling himself off and throwing a towel at Arthur before heading towards the playroom.

Arthur wrinkled his brow in confusion and decided to towel off quickly before following Merlin. Once Arthur entered the playroom his breath hitched as he saw Merlin draped obscenely over the spanking horse, wiggling his ass at him.

"Well come on then," Merlin said. "Time for my morning spank, yeah?"

"You actually still want to do that?" Arthur asked. "Are you completely sure?"

"Absolutely, as long as you don't mind my skipping my enema," Merlin winked at him. "I never much fancied those."

Arthur laughed. "Well, alright then. What do you want me to use?"

"I'd like the belt today," Merlin said thoughtfully. "Give me some good welts, make me sob. I could really use a good cry to get yesterday out of my system."

"You're really sure about this, Love?" Arthur asked as he picked up a belt hanging from the wall.

"Yeah," Merlin nodded. "It's all your fault I have a pain kink now, you know."

"Just promise me if this gets to be too much, you'll use the safe word," Arthur said. "You remember what they are?"

Merlin nodded. "Green to keep going, yellow to pause, red to stop."

Arthur nodded, satisfied that Merlin knew what he wanted, and positioned himself behind Merlin. He first warmed him up with a nice hand spanking before wielding the belt.

Without even really thinking about it, Arthur slipped into his Dom headspace then, as he lay stripe after stripe with the belt over Merlin's ass and thighs, until Merlin was sobbing. Although never once did Merlin try to safe word out, the sobbing is what snapped Arthur out of it and he dropped the belt and gathered a pliant and sobbing Merlin into his arms. "Thank you, Arthur. I really needed that."

Somewhere in the middle of the beating, Merlin had actually cum hard all over the spanking horse and Arthur smiled when he saw the mess before he carried Merlin out to the bedroom and lay him gently on his front onto the bed before fetching the salve they used to help Merlin heal faster after a good beating.

"So, it's my fault that I've turned you into a kinky bastard?" Arthur chuckled as he gently kissed each of the welts before smoothing more salve over Merlin's reddened skin.

"Yeah, well I had no idea how good all that would feel until you actually did it to me," Merlin shrugged. "So what's for breakfast?"

"I forgot to tell the kitchen staff what to make," Arthur said. "Let's go see if they've got a surprise for us?"

They both quickly dressed and headed down to the kitchen, where plates of steaming pancakes and syrup awaited them, along with freshly brewed coffee.

...

They were about half finished with their breakfast when there was once again a commotion at the front door. Both Merlin and Arthur headed to the foyer to see what was going on this time.

There at the front door stood Gwen and two officers, arguing with George and Gaius.

"What is going on this time?" Arthur asked exasperated.

"I'm here to check in on Merlin and take him away from you if I find even one thing amiss!" Gwen set petulantly.

"No!" Merlin said stepping forward. "I have had enough of you and your meddling. I am an adult and if I choose to be with Arthur it's really none of your damned business!"

"Is this really necessary?" Arthur growled. "You and your detective friend really need to end this witch hunt. I have done nothing illegal."

"That will be for the court to decide," Gwen said smugly. "Since Merlin won't press charges against you, I am doing so on his behalf. I'm already working on the paperwork to get him declared incompetent so that I can take over custody of him and get him away from you."

"Gaius!" Arthur cried in frustration. "Is there anything you can do?"

Gaius nodded. "I'll see to it right away, sir." Gaius then headed towards the office to presumably make some phone calls.

Arthur turned back to Gwen. "I am not going to let you take away the man that I love, just because some damned detective wants to bring me down on some trumped up charges!"

"I'm just trying to protect a young man from a sexual predator!" Gwen yelled back.

Merlin came forward again. "You will not insult my boyfriend like that again. I am not incompetent and I do not need to get away from this man. I love him!"

"You only think that dear," Gwen said condescendingly. "You really can't see what he's done to you."

"I know perfectly well what he's done to me," Merlin growled. "And I can't wait for him to do it again. Care to watch?"

Just then Gwen received a phone call. "Gwen here! Yes, sir? Oh no, My Lord! But…My Lord? We have him right here. I could…" Gwen let out a sigh of defeat. "Yes, My Lord."

"Well it seems you're still well connected," Gwen growled and turned to go, taking the officers with her. Arthur and Merlin both let out a sigh of relief before going to find Gaius in the office.

"Thanks, Gaius," Arthur said gratefully. "Is there anything else we can do to keep them off our backs? This really is getting ridiculous."

"I've been doing some digging," Gaius said. "It turns out that Detective Cenred was one of your father's victims. Your father had his parents murdered and it seems he's trying to go after you for revenge. He's been trying to pin things on you for years without success, but then Merlin's friend came in to file a missing person's report and when your former maid reported what she thought was abuse, that was finally enough to get the warrant."

"Great, just great," Arthur sighed. "I know my father was a horrid man, but I've tried to be better. People know that, don't they? I shut down all my father's illegal operations, and started a truly legitimate corporation."

"Unfortunately this is all over the tabloids now as well," Gaius sighed. "It will take some time to get this all cleared up."

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose and Merlin came up behind him and gave him a hug. "I'm so sorry Arthur. This is such a mess."

"Let me try and handle it, sir," Gaius said, reassuringly. "However I would lay off some of your… _kinkier_ …activities for the time being."

They both nodded and Merlin melted into Arthur's embrace after Gaius left. "I ream am so sorry Arthur. If it weren't for my stupid friend Gwaine."

"Hush, Love," Arthur said. "It's not your fault. Gaius will fix it. He always does."

...

A couple of weeks later, Arthur was once again taking Merlin out to dinner. They had not gone back to any Master/slave play since the last threat from Gwen and Arthur began to realize how much he enjoyed Merlin's company without all the rules.

Arthur had been in love with Merlin for quite some time and he knew he wanted Merlin in his life permanently. Since a Master/slave contract was now proving to be more trouble than it was worth, Arthur decided there was a much better way to bind Merlin to him, if he was willing.

As Arthur and Merlin were escorted to their table, the staff all gave Arthur a knowing smile. Dinner proceeded as normal until they were served with two glasses of Champaign and a romantic serenade began. Arthur had also permitted a couple of Paparazzi in to capture this moment. Merlin would understand how much he needed to improve his PR.

As the soft serenade began to play Arthur got down on one knee before Merlin. "My love, I knew from the moment I laid eyes on you that I needed you in my life. I may have gone about this the wrong way, but I still want you to be mine. You make me complete and whole. You fill an emptiness in me I didn't know I had until I first saw you. Please, my love, Merlin, will you marry me?"

Merlin's eyes were wet with joyous tears. "Yes, Arthur. Yes, of course I'll marry you. You literally saved my life and I love you so much for everything you have done for me."

Arthur produced a beautiful gold ring, inlaid with diamonds, and slipped it on Merlin's finger, before pulling Merlin in for a deep, loving kiss as the restaurant erupted into cheers.

The tabloids would have a lot to print the next day.

...

Back at the house later, Arthur took out the contract that he had convinced Merlin to sign well over a year before. "This is my engagement present to you, Love," he said as he flung the contract into the large fireplace in the sitting room. "That contract is now null and void."

"But you'll still let me see my mum, and help take care of her?" Merlin asked.

"Of course, you know I will," Arthur nodded as he pulled Merlin into an embrace as they watched the fire consume the contract.

"And we can still use the playroom once in a while?" Merlin asked mischievously.

Arthur chuckled. "Yes, once in a while, at least once that detective and social worker finally back off."

Merlin admired the ring on his finger and snuggled into Arthur's embrace. "I love you, so much."

"I love you too," Arthur said as he leaned in for a lingering kiss.


	6. Trials

Because of Arthur's status and wealth, his wedding to Merlin was going to be a huge media event. Arthur decided to use that in their favor, with Merlin and himself becoming darlings of the media.

They gave TV interviews and even alluded to some of their kinkier bedroom activities, and joked about how that had gotten Arthur in trouble. Arthur garnered sympathy for having rescued Merlin during his darkest hour and they shone a bright light onto the current foster care system.

However, the determined Detective Cenred and social worker Gwen were not going to let things go easily. It was a month after Arthur's proposal when they received a summons to court. Gwen had managed to push through a competency hearing for Merlin.

If the court found Merlin incompetent, they would be able to force him to stay away from Arthur, and possibly even institutionalize him ' _for his own good_.'

"Gaius," Arthur groused, pacing in his office. "Is there no way to stop this farce?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Pendragon," Gaius sighed. "Detective Cenred and Gwen have the prosecutor convinced that something untoward is still happening to Merlin as long as he lives here, despite all the media attention."

"What can we do?" Arthur asked.

"They are going to insist Merlin is evaluated by one of their psychiatric professionals," Gaius warned. "Undoubtedly someone that can be easily convinced to see what they want them to see in regards to Merlin's mental state."

"Is there any way to get a neutral third-party to evaluate him?" Arthur suggested.

"I am currently working on the paperwork now," Gaius nodded. "However it will be difficult to convince the judge of the necessity of it."

"Can't you show a bias against me from the detective?" Arthur asked. "Surely the fact that my father had his parents murdered should play some factor in these proceedings."

"Unfortunately, your father was very good at covering his tracks," Gaius sighed. "Officially, Cenred's parents died in a car accident. Murder charges were never filed against your father."

"Do you know all the psychiatrists that work for the prosecution?" Arthur asked. "Are there any you might trust more?"

Gaius nodded. "Yes, there are two or three. Good thinking. I'll make a specific request for one of them."

...

A week later, just as Gaius had predicted, Merlin was called in for a psych evaluation by the office of the prosecutor. Two officers came to the house to escort him and Arthur was not allowed to accompany him. Merlin went willingly, not wanting to cause more trouble for Arthur.

Merlin sat in the back of the police car and worried more for Arthur than for himself. Merlin knew he was competent, but he was hoping they wouldn't railroad him and force him to leave Arthur.

The officers escorted Merlin all the way into the psychiatrist's office and remained outside to prevent Merlin from leaving before the evaluation was complete.

In the office, Merlin walked over to the elderly looking woman, holding his hand out. "Hello. I'm Merlin Emrys. I believe I'm here to be evaluated?"

"Hello Merlin," she said smiling. "My name is Alice. Won't you have a seat?"

Merlin sat in the overstuffed chair she indicated as she went to sit in a similar chair opposite.

"Now, do you know why you're to be evaluated Merlin?" Alice asked amicably.

"Yeah," Merlin nodded. "Some detective thinks I was kidnapped and am being held against my will by my fiancé."

"Fiancé?" Alice said incredulously. "That wasn't in my notes. How long have you two been engaged?"

"I guess you don't read the tabloids. It's been oh, about five or six weeks I think," Merlin said smiling. "His proposal was very romantic. It was at the same restaurant where we had our first date."

"No, I don't read the tabloids. I don't like how they try to influence people's opinions. So, tell me how you and Arthur met," Alice prompted.

"Well, that's a bit of a complicated story," Merlin said. "You see, the first time I met him, I was about to jump off of a bridge."

"Why were you doing that?" Alice asked.

"I was starving, living on the streets, turning tricks to try and survive," Merlin sighed. "I'd hit rock bottom. Then this limousine pulled up and Arthur came out to talk to me. He offered me an alternative."

"What alternative was that, my dear?" Alice asked as she wrote down some notes.

"Well, ok this is gonna sound bad," Merlin said. "But Arthur was honest with me from the beginning about everything. He never tried to trick me into it. Basically he offered to take me home and in exchange of taking care of me and my mother, I was to service him, sexually."

"I see," Alice said. "How did that make you feel?"

Merlin shrugged. "To be honest it sort of turned me on. Once we got to his house, he gave me a full tour, he showed me everything, including the playroom with all of his kinky toys. Then he had me read through a detailed contract of what would be expected of me. He even agreed to do a trial run without my signing the contract. He gave me every chance to back out and change my mind. He even made some changes to the contract I asked for before I signed it."

"And you didn't see a problem with doing any of the things he was asking for?" Alice asked.

Merlin shook his head. "No. He was handsome, and rich and to be honest I found out quickly that liked spending time with him."

"Where is this contract now?" Alice asked.

"Arthur destroyed it when we became engaged," Merlin smiled. "We fell in love with each other and we don't need that contract anymore."

"So you are in love with Arthur Pendragon?" Alice asked pointedly.

"Yeah," Merlin said with a goofy smiled. "I love him so much. He's become my best friend, my lover, my everything."

"Are you ever allowed out of the house without him?" Alice took more notes.

"Oh yeah, of course," Merlin nodded. "I've been going out to lunch with my mum every week since moving in with Arthur. Lately, I've been doing a lot of the wedding planning, so I'm going out to shops, meeting with the wedding coordinator, all that stuff."

"I see," Alice said. "What kinds of verbal abuse does Arthur use?"

"Arthur has never abused me, verbally or otherwise," Merlin said defensively. "He's always telling me how wonderful and perfect I am. How lucky he is to have found me. He loves me."

"So he's never made you feel inadequate? That you are worthless without him?" Alice asked pointedly.

"No, just the opposite," Merlin replied. "Look, he rescued me. Saved me from killing myself. He's been taking care of me and my mum. He helped me finish my education. He's made me feel better about myself than I have in a very long time. He's been nothing but wonderful."

"Do you ever have disagreements?" Alice asked.

"We haven't had a lot, no," Merlin shrugged. "I think we fight the most when we play video games and he accuses me of cheating...which I totally do because it's the only way I can win against him." Merlin giggled at the memory of their last silly argument over Mario Kart.

"I was told the reason the police even investigated your case was because a friend of yours reported you missing. Was Arthur not allowing you to see your friends?" Alice asked.

"Gwaine was hardly a friend," Merlin explained. "We hung out together at school, but that's it. Honestly after Arthur took me in, it just never occurred to me to let Gwaine know I was okay. I didn't think he cared."

"So Arthur wasn't keeping you from seeing friends?" Alice asked again.

"I didn't have friends," Merlin growled. "I kept getting moved from one foster family to another every six months or so. I never stayed anywhere long enough to make friends."

"Then one of Arthur's maids reported you being raped and abused," Alice stated. "Why would she do that?"

"Arthur and I were in the playroom one day," Merlin recalled. "We were having one of our kinkier sessions and I was being particularly loud. She walked in on us and began shouting at Arthur to leave me alone. We both shouted back at her to mind her own business and Arthur fired her when she refused. It really killed the mood."

Alice nodded and hummed at that. "Alright, I think that's enough for me to make an evaluation," Alice said smiling. "I will also be talking to Arthur and your mother and I'll make a full report to the judge on the day of your hearing. Until then you will be housed at the group home."

"Wait, what?!" Merlin cried in shock. "No! No, no, no. I never agreed to go to the group home! Do you know you know how much work I still have to do to plan the wedding?!"

"I'm sorry but you will have to delay your plans," Alice said. "I advised the judge to separate you from Arthur until the hearing next week. It will help establish, once and for all, whether or not a crime against you has been committed."

"What does it matter? I'm an adult and I am not pressing charges against the man I love!" Merlin protested.

"We'll see," Alice said patiently before calling in the two officers. Merlin fought with them and ended up in handcuffs for his troubles.

...

Once at the group home, the director, a rather large man by the name of Percival, took custody of Merlin and escorted him to his room. Which actually felt more like a prison cell.

The door to the room was steel and had a barred window and a slot for delivering food trays. Inside was a small bed, dresser and TV, and there was a tiny bathroom as well. All the windows were also barred.

"Oi, if I'm supposedly the victim, why am I being treated like a prisoner?" Merlin asked Percival.

"This is just a precaution," Percival explained. "We need to make sure you don't harm yourself or run back to your abuser. Dinner will be delivered at 6 o'clock."

Merlin couldn't believe it. They had managed to find a way of taking him away from Arthur and Merlin had no idea how to make this right. What if the judge at his hearing decided to find him incompetent and forced him to stay here indefinitely?

Merlin curled up in defeat on his small bed and began to sob uncontrollably. After a while, Percival came by and asked him to calm down, threatening to give him a tranquilizer if he didn't.

Merlin calmed himself as much as he could and just lay numbly on the bed, tears still streaming down his face.

When his dinner was delivered, it looked disgusting. Some kind of meatloaf covered in a thick, gelatinous gravy, with burnt brussel sprouts, a fruit cup and cup of water. The only utensil he was given was a plastic spork.

The sight of the food reminded him of the dinner plans he'd had with Arthur that night. They were going to try that new avant garde eatery that had just opened. The food before him was about as far from avant garde as it got.

Merlin reluctantly ate the meal, knowing that starving himself was no solution. He had to tough it out until next week and hoped that Gaius would find a way to reunite them by the hearing.

After finishing the food, Merlin shoved the tray through the slot in the door and went to lay down again. It wasn't until about a half hour after he ate that his stomach began to cramp and a wave of nausea hit. He barely made it to the toilet before his body began to violently expel the meal he had just eaten.

Merlin continued to purge until there was literally nothing left, and still his body continued dry heaving, his stomach continuing to cramp.

Finally, Percival came in. "Here, drink this, it will help."

Merlin drank the bitter tasting liquid and almost immediately began to feel better. "Thanks."

"Let's get you to bed, alright?" Percival said, picking up the weakened Merlin like a rag doll, and carrying him to the bed. He then proceeded to try and remove Merlin's clothes.

"Oi, what do you think you're doing?" Merlin protested weakly.

"You can't sleep in your street clothes," Percival stated. "I'm going to help you change into pajamas."

Merlin shook his head. "No. Just give me the pajamas. I'll do it myself. You are not touching me."

Percival sighed and stood up, he walked to the small dresser and took out a pair of pajamas and tossed them at Merlin.

Merlin had a sudden realization then. "You…you put something in my food, didn't you?"

Percival shrugged. "Yeah. We needed to purge your system just in case Pendragon was keeping you drugged."

"Oh gods, really?!" Merlin was incredulous. "My own fiancé is drugging me? To what end?"

"To keep you pliant, to keep abusing you," Percival said. "We'll get the bastard, don't worry."

"No!" Merlin cried out. "Please just let me go home."

"Nope, can't. Judge has ordered you remain here under lock and key until the hearing." Percival shrugged.

"Can Arthur at least visit me?" Merlin asked.

"Definitely a no," Percival shook his head. "And no visits from his lawyer friend either."

"What about my mum?" Merlin asked quietly. "Can I at least see my mum?"

"You really are in touch with your mum?" he asked.

"Yes, of course I am," Merlin grumbled. "Has anyone bothered to even go and ask her that?"

Percival shrugged. "Dunno. Look I'll see what I can do, alright? Now change and get some rest."

...

Two days later Merlin was informed he had a visitor just before his mum ran into the room. Merlin was still dressed in pajamas. They had taken his clothes and pajamas were all he had been permitted to wear.

"Mum!" Merlin cried happily reaching out to hug her, but too weak to get up. He'd lost his appetite for food since that awful first night.

"Oh Merlin!" his mum said sorrowfully. "What have they done to you?"

"They kidnapped me and are keeping me against my will," Merlin said. "Which is what they are accusing Arthur of, but he didn't. I swear he's been nothing but good to me."

"I know, dear," she said. "He's been so good to both of us. He really is a good man. Do you know why they are doing this?"

"There's this detective," Merlin explained. "He has some vendetta against Arthur, because his father had his parents killed years ago. He wants Arthur to suffer, even though Arthur had nothing to do with it."

"That's horrid," she said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah," Merlin said. "Can you go and tell Arthur I miss him terribly and I can't wait to see him at the hearing?"

"Of course," she nodded. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"Do you happen to have any candy bars in your purse?" Merlin asked hopefully.

"Yes, you know I always carry some, why?" she looked concerned.

Merlin whispered. "They drugged my food so I stopped eating it. I'm starving."

His mum looked around first before fishing the candy bars out of her purse and handing them to Merlin, who quickly hid them beneath his pillow. "Thanks mum!"

...

The day of the hearing dawned cool and rainy. Percival came in and handed him some actual clothes. Jeans, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and some sneakers.

"Are you sure I can't help you dress?" he asked suggestively.

"No!" Merlin growled.

The officers who had brought him to the _group home_ a week before were back. They handcuffed him again and dragged him out to their squad car and drove him to the court house.

Soon Merlin found himself entering the courtroom where his hearing was scheduled. The judge was already seated. Gaius was there but there was no sign of Arthur. The officers dragged Merlin before the judge before he'd had a chance to even greet Gaius.

"What is your name, young man?" the judge asked.

"Merlin Emrys, My Lord," Merlin said respectfully.

"Officers, why is Mr. Emrys handcuffed. Is he not the alleged victim?" the judge asked pointedly. "Release him at once!"

"Thank you, My Lord," Merlin said gratefully, rubbing his wrists once he was released.

"Do you understand the purpose of today's hearing?" the judge asked.

"Yes, My Lord," Merlin said. "You are to determine my competency and ability to make decisions for myself."

"Very good," the judge nodded. "You may be seated by your counsel."

Merlin went to sit and Alice was called before the judge. "Please tell us your observations of Mr. Emrys."

Gaius whispered into Merlin's ear. "Don't worry. I know Alice and I requested her specifically. She'll be fair."

Merlin nodded, taking a deep breath.

"My Lord," Alice said. "I spoke with Mr. Emrys a week ago and observed him whilst in confinement over the past week. I also had a chance to speak with the accused, Mr. Pendragon and also Mr. Emrys' mother. In my expert opinion, Mr. Emrys is completely in his right mind and he is also not suffering from Stockholm Syndrome."

"You are quite sure of this?" the judge asked.

"Quite your honor," Alice nodded. "Mr. Emrys and Mr. Pendragon do engage in some questionable sexual activities, but as Merlin is a consenting adult, there is nothing illegal about any of it."

"Thank you," said the Judge. "Mr. Emrys, please come forward."

Merlin stood again and approached the judge. "Can you tell me what you wish to do right now? What would the ideal outcome be?"

"Well, My Lord," Merlin said. "Ideally I would be released and allowed to go back home to my fiancé. I have a lot of wedding planning to do."

"So you and Mr. Pendragon are indeed engaged?" the judge asked.

"Yeah," Merlin grinned and held up the hand with his engagement ring. "Didn't you see the photos of the proposal? They were all over the tabloids!"

The Judge hummed and then signaled the court officer who went to a side door and brought out Arthur.

"Arthur!" Merlin cried, practically flinging himself at his fiancé. "I missed you so much," Merlin said, weeping for joy.

Arthur hugged him close, tears of relief and joy streaming down his own face. "I'm here, Love."

The judge observed the interaction and seemed satisfied. "It is clear to me that Mr. Emrys is clearly competent as well as deeply in love with Mr. Pendragon. I see no reason for this farce to continue. You both may go and all charges filed against you will be dropped Mr. Pendragon. You have my and the court's sincerest apologies for all this."

Just then Detective Cenred and Gwen both stood from the back of the court, crying objections.

"As for you two," the judge practically growled. "If you spend one more penny of resources harassing either of these two gentlemen I will issue the arrest warrant against you both myself."

They both looked defeated. "Yes, My Lord."

Gaius then ushered Merlin and Arthur out of the courtroom and past the small army of paparazzi, making sure they were safely in the limousine, ready to be taken back home.

As they rode home, Merlin related to Arthur everything that had happened and Arthur was incensed. They had practically done to Merlin what they had been accusing Arthur of doing.

"Arthur," Merlin said with a warning tone. "Don't go plotting revenge, or you may yet turn into your father and then where will we be?"

Arthur saw the logic in that. "You're right Merlin. What matters is that we're together again and hopefully this can all be finally put behind us."

They rode the rest of the way home clinging to each other, hopeful that this ugly incident was finally over.


	7. Nuptials

The media storm after Merlin's hearing was overwhelming and it forced Merlin and Arthur to retreat into seclusion while Arthur and Gaius had a chance to plan a strategy on how to handle it. Meanwhile, the judge issued an official retraction of all charges against Arthur, along with a public apology.

The next several months went by swiftly after the media began to lose interest in their story. Merlin busied himself with planning the wedding while Arthur and Gaius tried to repair the damage to the Pendragon name from the witch hunt against Arthur. Despite his name being cleared, certain conservative elements were still trying to brand Arthur as some sort of sexual predator.

Merlin was really enjoying planning the wedding and thought perhaps he might have a knack for it. While he may never need a career, being married to a billionaire, Merlin thought he might enjoy having something else to do other than warming Arthur's cock every afternoon.

The only part of the planning Arthur wasn't allowing Merlin to do was the honeymoon. Arthur said he wanted to surprise Merlin, and so the younger man happily took that part of the planning off his list.

By the time the wedding date was near, Arthur and Merlin were once again media darlings and they laughed off the ridiculous _adventures_ they'd had dealing with a very overzealous detective and social worker.

Unfortunately, Merlin had nightmares from his confinement in that so-called _group home_. Arthur often had to calm him down in the middle of the night when he would awaken, screaming.

Arthur seriously thought about suing the city in regards to Merlin's continued distress, but Merlin begged him not to. So instead Arthur paid for Merlin to seek therapy instead. Arthur just wanted his sweet, content Merlin back.

About a month before the wedding, Merlin's therapist thought it would be a good idea for him to have a supervised confrontation with those who were responsible for his confinement. That included Cenred, Gwen, Alice and Percival.

Merlin agreed only if Arthur could be there, along with a couple of personal body guards as Merlin didn't trust that they wouldn't just try and grab him yet again.

The meeting took place at the Pendragon Industries headquarters and they met in one of Arthur's private conference rooms. When Merlin and Arthur arrived, the four in question were already there, along with Merlin's therapist.

They sat down and Merlin looked a bit nervous until his therapist nodded and Arthur held his hand in support. Merlin looked all four of them in the eye.

"Alright," Merlin began. "I need to get this off my chest or I may never get another good night's sleep again."

"Merlin," Gwen interrupted.

"NO!" Merlin gritted out. "You are here to listen to me this time, not the other way around. So you sit there, shut up and listen. Is that clear?"

Gwen nodded.

"Cenred," Merlin looked at the detective warily. "I know you did this because of what happened to your parents. I'm sorry that Uther did that. I'm sorry Uther was that sort of man. However, Arthur is not his father. He's tried everything to reverse all the bad things his father did. Yeah he's a kinky bastard, but so am I. He wasn't abusing me and what you did ended up hurting me far more than it ever hurt him."

Cenred was going to open his mouth to speak but Arthur pointedly shook his head and Cenred sat back.

"Gwen," Merlin continued. "I know you meant well. I know you saw a possible abusive situation. However, you never once listened to what I had to say. You didn't listen and Cenred continued to push his investigation and I ended up needing therapy because of the trauma I suffered. Because of you, I ended up being practically kidnapped and confined by the state. You did to me what you were accusing Arthur of doing. Remember that we could have pressed charges against you for that and that we didn't."

Gwen took a deep shuddering breath and her eyes were brimming with unfallen tears.

Merlin took a deep breath then and looked at Alice and Percival. "As for you two. I know you were just following orders based upon the investigation from those two, but did either of you for even one moment consider what you might be doing to the state of my mental health by confining me like that? Even for just a week? I still wake up with nightmares from that place!"

Merlin was finally finished and they all sat in silence for a moment. Alice was the first to speak up. "I am truly sorry, my dear. Had I known the truth behind all the allegations I would have never recommended to put you through all that. I was working with false assumptions based on false information. I know now that every word you told me was the sincere truth and I do apologize for not believing you."

"Yeah, man," Percival interceded. "We were told you could have Stockholm Syndrome and that you could be a danger to yourself, which is why we put you in an isolated room like that. I'm sorry, I really didn't know."

Cenred and Gwen were looking sheepish as the other two apologized to Merlin.

"Look," Gwen took a deep breath. "The thing is, after what your friend and that maid told us, I will admit I was convinced you were being harmed and I refused to believe anything you said. I have seen real victims with Stockholm Syndrome before, and they absolutely loved their kidnappers by the time we'd rescued them. You had been with Arthur for a year so it was difficult to believe he hadn't affected you in that way."

"See, that's the thing," Merlin said in frustration. "I wasn't kidnapped. I was only a victim of the foster care system and my own circumstances. I was about to jump off a bloody bridge before Arthur came along. He _saved_ me."

"Yes, and I am sorry," Gwen finally apologized. "I thought I was protecting you from a monster, but I guess it turned out that I was the monster instead."

Finally, all eyes were on Cenred. "Don't look at me. Pendragon's father had my parents murdered and I will not rest until he and his entire empire are in shambles."

Arthur studied the man for a moment. "Do you know what I did after my father died?"

Cenred huffed. "Took up where he left off, I suspect. You're just so much better at hiding it."

"No, actually," Arthur said calmly. "I sold or shut down every illicit part of Pendragon Industries. I then donated every penny of his ill-gotten gains to a variety of charities. By the time my father had died, I had amassed my own wealth, and I didn't need his to sustain the company. I then invested in legitimate business opportunities. Some failed, but most succeeded. Not a single penny that I have now came from my father."

"I don't believe that," Cenred sneered.

"You don't have to believe it. It's all on public record. If you're such a good detective it shouldn't be difficult for you to find that information," Arthur said coolly.

Alice cleared her throat then and drew everyone's attention. "Cenred you are the one in the wrong now. I did quite a bit of checking already and everything Arthur just said is the truth. You traumatized a young man for no good reason. You must let this go."

"But…my parents," Cenred began again with a small sob in his voice.

"The loss of your parents was a tragic thing, and you have my sincerest apologies for what my father did," Arthur said. "But I had nothing to do with it. I was away at boarding school in Switzerland at the time. I didn't even learn about it until after Uther died, and by then it was too late to bring him to justice."

"Do you know?" Cenred began asking. "Do you know why he had them killed? They were good, honest, hardworking people."

"I'm not certain," Arthur replied. "I think they got caught on the bad end of a business deal and Uther made an example of them. That's about all I know. My father was very good at covering his tracks."

Cenred slumped into his chair, finally defeated. "Alright, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been taking my anger out on either one of you. If it makes either of you feel any better, my disciplinary hearing is next week. I may get drummed out of the force entirely for what I did."

"No, it doesn't make me feel better," Merlin said. "In the long run, we're all just indirect victims of Uther. It would make me feel better if we can just all finally put this behind us. Hopefully confronting you today will help me finally get some sleep or I'll make a horrible looking bride on my wedding day!"

Everyone chuckled a little at that and the tension finally cleared. After that everyone cleared the room, leaving Merlin and Arthur alone.

Arthur smiled at Merlin. "I'm very proud of you. You faced them bravely."

Merlin blushed. "Thanks. Honestly I think that helped. It's like a weight's been lifted."

Arthur pulled Merlin into a warm embrace. "Good."

...

The morning of the wedding dawned bright and clear. They were holding it on Arthur's estate, and were prepared for any kind of weather. Since no rain clouds threatened the servants were already busy setting up on the grounds in the back of the estate.

Merlin stretched, lovingly running his hands along the golden collar he still wore. Arthur had told him he could take it off anytime he wanted to, but it had been Arthur's first gift to him and removing would be permanent and he didn't want that.

He looked over at the empty side of the bed where Arthur normally slept and Merlin sighed. Arthur had insisted that they sleep separately for a week before the wedding. He'd even gone so far as to lock Merlin into a cock cage for the week, saying something about wanting Merlin to be _hard and aching_ on their wedding night.

Merlin smirked as he looked down at the chastity device still locked around his genitals before he slowly crawled out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. Peeing with the cage on was a little trickier than normal, but he'd managed to deal with it all week and was quite practiced at it by now.

Afterwards he treated himself to an extra-long shower, making sure to shave everywhere as he always did. He wanted to be perfect for Arthur today.

Merlin then dressed in simple sweats before heading downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning, Love," Arthur beamed at him from his usual spot in the kitchen. "Sleep well?"

Merlin gave Arthur a quick kiss before seating himself in front of a plate with a lovely looking omelette and reached for the steaming cup of coffee. "Well enough, but I have been missing you something awful."

"Yeah I miss having you in my arms at night," Arthur agreed. "Thankfully our wait is over. Are you ready to become Mr. Pendragon today?"

Merlin blushed. "Oh no. I may become Merlin Pendragon today, but you will always be Mr. Pendragon."

Arthur chuckled. "Hmm you know I might prefer you calling me that over _Master_ ," Arthur teased.

"Yes, Mr. Pendragon," Merlin deadpanned before bursting into giggles.

...

Several hours later and Merlin was up in the master bedroom getting dressed for the ceremony. He opted for a silver-grey three-piece suit, and he knew Arthur would be wearing a slate-grey three-piece suit. They were both wearing ties and handkerchiefs in _Pendragon red_ , as Merlin liked to call it.

Merlin was just giving his hair one last comb through when a knock came at the door. "It's time, Mr. Emrys," George announced.

"Thank you, George," Merlin nodded striding towards the door. He paused at where George was holding open the door for him. "I mean that. Thank you. You've really been a big help to both of us and I know Arthur relies on you for literally everything."

"Just doing my job," George nodded and then produced a rare smile. "but…you're welcome. It is nice to be appreciated."

Merlin made his way downstairs and towards the large double French doors leading out towards where the ceremony had been set up. Arthur stood there, waiting for him. They had opted to escort each other down the aisle for their ceremony.

Arthur smiled and held out his arm and Merlin took it as the music began and they started their walk towards where all their guests were seated. They reached the end of the aisle they were to walk down and Merlin sought the only guest he'd invited, and saw her eyes already brimming with tears. Merlin mouthed to her _"I love you mum!"_ and she sniffled as she shot him a smile.

Most of the other guests were business acquaintances and old family friends of the Pendragons. Besides a professional wedding photographer, the same Paparazzi that had been allowed to document their proposal were on-hand as well. Arthur figured if he gave some of them exclusive access, he might avoid the intrusion of helicopters hovering over the proceedings.

The music stopped as they reached the floral arch where Gaius waited. They had asked him to officiate the ceremony and he was grinning like a proud father at both of them.

"Welcome one and all. We are gathered here today to celebrate love. We celebrate the love and devotion that these two fine young gentlemen have for one another and their determination to make a lifetime commitment to each other through marriage," Gaius began.

Gaius took a moment before continuing. "In marriage, two people turn to each other in search of a greater fulfillment than either can achieve alone. Marriage is a bold step, taken together, into an unknown future. It is risking who we are for the sake of who we can be. Only in giving of ourselves fully, and sharing our lives with another, can the mysterious process of growth take place. Only in loyalty and devotion bestowed upon another can that which is eternal in life emerge and be known. Two among us, who have stood apart, come together now, to declare their love and to be united in marriage."

By now Merlin was vibrating with nervous excitement as the moment of saying their vows was upon them. He had agonized for weeks as to what to say to Arthur.

"I believe they both have prepared their own vows," Gaius told the crowd. "Gentlemen?"

Arthur was to go first, and he cleared his voice and looked at Merlin for a moment before taking his hands. "Merlin, ever since the first moment I saw you, your dazzling eyes and bright smile had me enchanted. The way we met may have been unorthodox, but I fell in love with you so deeply and so completely. I cannot imagine spending even a day without you at my side. You are the light of my life. I promise to show you how much I love you every day for the rest of our lives."

Merlin was emotionally swept away by Arthur's sincere words of love. Tears streamed down his face and he tried to compose himself before reciting his own vows. "Arthur, on the day we met you literally saved my life. Since that day you have shown me that there is more to life and opened up opportunities I would never have imagined. You also showed me how kind and patient you can be. As I got to know you better, I saw the man you are, not the man you present to the world. I fell in love with that man. To the rest of the world your just some spoiled prat born with a silver spoon in your mouth. To me, I know you truly are a prince among men and you were my knight in shining armor. I promise to love, honor and _obey_ you for the rest of our lives."

Merlin added a little wink to Arthur when he said the word _obey_ and Arthur blushed a bit at the meaning behind it.

Next they completed the traditional exchange of rings and finally Gaius allowed them to kiss. "May I present to you Mr. Arthur Pendragon and Mr. Merlin Pendragon."

Hand in hand they ran back down the aisle together, laughing as they were showered by rice.

Afterwards they had a tasteful reception on the large back patio of the estate, complete with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. It was fairly low key and all the guests were finally gone by dinner time. Merlin's mum was the last to go and they hugged and cried.

They were heading on their secret honeymoon the next day, but Arthur wanted his new husband all to himself for the evening. Once they were alone Arthur led Merlin up to their bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him.

"So, you promised to obey me," Arthur smirked.

"That I did, dear husband," Merlin grinned.

"Good, because my boy," Arthur grinned. "Now you truly belong to me."


	8. GoodBye

This is just a note to all the people who read/enjoy my stories here that I have decided to post exclusively on AO3 (ArchiveofOurOwn) going forward. All my stories that are here are there already so you just have to look for my username to find them.

Why am I leaving this site? For many reasons but the primary ones:

The posting process here is a lot more complex

This site doesn't allow me to flag potential triggers in my stories or set keywords/tags

The "reviews" vs. ability to comment here doesn't foster communication between reader and writer

I'll leave my profile up for a while but I will eventually completely remove/delete it so if you really like my content please go to AO3.


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